Jets sign kicker Harrison Mevis after 2025 stint with UFL's Stallions
Harrison Mevis was one of the best kickers in the UFL during its 2025 season. He parlayed his strong performance into a second NFL opportunity.
Mevis is set to sign with the New York Jets, ESPN's Rich Cimini reports. It will mark the Missouri product's second chance to make it in the NFL; his first came after he signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2024.
Mevis was a star kicker at Missouri, where he earned the nicknamed the "Thiccer Kicker" because of his burly 6-0, 242-pound frame. He made 89 of 106 field goals during his time with the Tigers, including a 61-yard game-winner against Kansas State in 2023 that remains the longest field goal made by an SEC kicker.
Mevis was unable to beat Eddy Pineiro for the top kicker job in Carolina and ultimately turned his attention to the UFL. The Birmingham Stallions scooped up the 23-year-old in December 2024 and eventually made him the top option at the position. Mevis responded by putting together a great season, making 20 of 21 field goals with a long of 54 yards.
Now, Mevis will rejoin the NFL hoping to enjoy the same level of success as two other recent UFL kicker graduates: Brandon Aubrey, who was a 2023 All-Pro first teamer as a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys, and Jake Bates, who made 26 of 29 field goals during his rookie season with the Detroit Lions.
The Jets will hope Mevis can provide stability at kicker after the team used five different players at the position in 2024. They combined to make just 20 of 28 field goals (71.4%), with primary starter Greg Zuerlein's woes being a big part of the problem (he went 9 of 15 on his attempts in eight games).
The Jets waived Anders Carlson – who went 8 of 10 on field goals last season and was previously the team's lone holdover at the position – to make room for Mevis. He will battle Caden Davis, who signed with New York as a free agent after going undrafted out of Ole Miss, for the Jets' starting kicker job.
(This story was updated to add new information.)